Fire Keepers
The Fire Keepers are the renowned siege specialists among the Legions. No keep nor stronghold has ever withstood the methodical discipline of the Fire Keepers, while their own redoubts are some of the strongest fortresses throughout the galaxy. This unrelenting discipline does not hide the heart of artisans. Many intricate weapons of war were created in the shops of the Fire Keepers. Although loyal to the Imperium, the relationship between the legion and the Emperor has always been a mixed one. For though the Fire Keepers have fought with duty and honour throughout the Great Crusade, like their gene-sire, Niklaas, they distrust the witch and the psyker. To be a Fire Keeper psyker is to be condemned to a life of suspicion and confinement. The Insurrection would provide the spark that would temper the Fire Keepers in the forge of war. Origins and History Fluff here 'Legion Home World' 'Obsailes' Obsailes experiences a diurnal cycle much longer than that of Terra. In addition to having a longer regular 'daily' cycle Obsailes also has a pronounced seasonal cycle of light with a 'Long Night' of total blackout lasting 90 to 120 Terran days each year. Most human population is concentrated on the north continent within the temperate region. The continent is dominated by forests and mountains. Prior to the primarch's arrival most settlements were walled city states with a tech level that included gun powder and steam powered machines. Coal was considered the most precious commodity. Leaving the protection of city walls after nightfall was an act of desperation or madness as the forests of Obsailes were home to all manner of fearsome beasts, both natural and malevolent. Some beasts were great enough to break down the strongest of walls, with hides that no projectile could pierce. Others moved as shadows, caring not whether walls or watch fires stood, murdering and torturing where ever they pleased. 'Legion Beliefs' There is a marked gender gap in their culture. Men are tasked with more front line tasks and women fill most support roles. Men are soldiers, doctors, mechanics etc. Women are nurses, cooks, clerks etc. "Owning" servants is allowed in Obsailan society but there are very strict laws governing such. There are no life long slaves. Children born to a servant are not the property of the "master", but must be provided for until they are of age. At such time they must be given fair wage or passage to another House. These things will obviously cause problems with crew members from differing backgrounds. The Legion maintains branches on the grapevine. Listening to the gossip and rumors coming from their human crews. Seldom acting directly but willing to go to great lengths to maintain discipline and order. Two things get legionaries involved with crew affairs directly, deaths caused by violence wether intentional or not, and any crime against a woman or child. Killing of kindred is a mortal sin to Obsailans. Something like stumbling into a pregnant woman causeing her or her unborn child injury will get you stuffed in a sack by a space marine, beaten against a bulkhead and jettisoned out an airlock with the trash. Reading strange books or anything that even remotely smells like something a witch might think about doing will get you a visit from a legion chaplain. Legion Organisation and Structure units & Stuff here 'First Company' 'Second Company' Like the First Company, the Second is called a company but, is in fact, far larger. Composed of Astartes vowed to the War Guilds as well as Mechanicum and human Auxillia the Second answers directly to the Primarch. The primary function of this force is the construction of specialized structures (such as the Coliseum on Baal), the appropriation and study of STCs and other advanced technologies, and unusual and unconventional breaching and siege engagements. 'Tribes' The Fire Keepers are divided into 12 'Tribes' of varying size from nearly 19,000 to just over 8,000. The Tribes are overseen by commanders with the title of 'Chief Captain' and are subdivided into 100 man companies led by Captains. Companies are 100 men strong and often specialize, like 199th Breacher Company or 77th Veteran Company and so on. Total legion size is roughly 150,000 Astartes. Most of the legion serves with the primarch's own 77th Expedition, with two exceptions - Tribe Esus and Tribe Mogon, numbering about 18,000 astartes total - attached to the 1445th Expedition. Chief Captain Jehu of Tribe Nerius commands the 333rd Expeditionary Fleet from the Battle Barge Perditio Rex, his primarch's former flagship. Tribe Nerius' compliment is roughly 13,000 Astartes and is accompanied by regiments of the Imperial Army and a force of a Titans. Listed below is the heraldry of the Tribes, commanders and approximate strength at the of the Day of Revelation. The tribes named among the Xth Legion are those that were loyal to Niklaas during the Witch War. Others exist, some on both sides where extinguished during the war: *'Esus' - Two white axes crossed on a black field. Chief Captain Hiram, 12,000 Astartes. Both Esus and Mogon served alongside the 1445th Expeditionary Fleet under the mortal Lord Commander Tyr Askr. *'Mogon' - A red mountain crowned with white stars on a field of black. Chief Captain Endor, 10,000 Astartes. Legion psykers not sent to the Crucible of Embers were assigned to Mogon after the dissolution of the Xth Legion's Librarius. *'Nerius' - A scepter clutched in a sea serpent's coils. Chief Captain Jefu is a Lord Commander of his own 333rd Expeditionary Fleet. 16,000 Astartes. *'Grannus' - Gold sun disk on a field of red. Considered Niklaas' own tribe which includes the elite First Company. 14,000 Astartes. *'Rudianos' - Red horse on a field of white. 14,000 Astartes. *'Smertrius' - Black dragon on a field of white. Tribe Smertrius deviates from common legion organization. Rather than variable sized Hosts Smertrius is divided into seven equal sized “Talons”. This tradition dates back to Obsailes and is illustrated in the Tribe's heraldry, the black dragon having four talons on it's right foot and three on it's left. 18,000 Astartes. *'Leucetios' - Silver lightning bolt on a field of black. Commanded by Chief Captain Mykaal, the only commander besides Niklaas to have a Triakonta bodyguard. 22,000 Astartes. *'Intarabus' - A black wolf on a field of white. 16,000 Astartes. *'Vindonnus' - A black horse head breathing fire on a field of white. 17,000 Astartes. *'Barinthus' - A silver sword on a field of black. Thirgen is named Chief Captain after the Day of Revelation. 10,000 Astartes. *'Dispater' - A red-spiked helm on a field of black. 19,000 Astartes. *'Ankou' - Two white scythes on a field of red. 12,000 Astartes. Most tribal names of Obsailes are associated with a fortified village and the surrounding territory. Ankou is the exception. The Ankou valley is a region free of most of the monstrous fauna that dominates the major continent. The people of the region lived simple agrarian lives. The success of Niklaas' war against the Witch King saw one of that fiend’s followers flee to the area. There the witch discovered a people who did not fear the dark, who did not give their lands and property at mere threat. Niklaas arrived shortly and witnessed first hand the fearsome heart born by the people of Ankou. When the primarch took command of his legion he honored those simple farmers by adding their home’s name to the rolls of the Great Crusade. 'Specialist Formations' *'Triakonta' - The Triakonta, The Thirty, the elite of the Fire Keepers Legion. Selected by the primarch himself as his personal body guard the Triakonta receive the best of arms and armor. Whether fighting at Niklaas' side, with one of the primarch's favored commanders, or in a rearguard action the Triakonta are always found where their skill and strength will have the greatest impact. *'Maveshalak' - While most of the Legions prized their elite assault companies, Niklaas preferred to use firepower to carry the day in escalades. To this end the Maveshalak were developed from the Legion's heavy weapons specialists. Typically deployed in the storming of an enemy fortress, they tend more towards anti-infantry roles than most heavy support units, wielding assault cannons, heavy flamers and volkite culverins. A handful carry melta and missile weapons to destroy any tanks and barricades that might bar their way. The power of the Maveshalak is amplified further by the improvements that Niklaas has made to their arsenal, and they are led by Gideon Eshedath, the 'Flame Hand'. Eshedath was a follower of Niklaas on Obsailes, and won widespread acclaim for his tactical acumen in the Medusan Compliance. His chosen weapon is one of Niklaas' masterpieces, a custom-made multi-melta which has been known to melt even stone. 'Rank Structure' 'Masters of the Guilds' Among the ranks of the Fire Keepers legion there are those commanders who have mastered not only the leading of men but also the arts of stone, and steel, and circuits. These rare savants are the senior most masters of the War Guilds of the 10th legion. The Guilds were born long ago on Obsailes as a means to teach young men the skills to survive that harsh world. Over the centuries they became closed brotherhoods. The coming of the Emperor and the Mechanicum to Obsailes saw the Guilds find a kinship with the Adepts of Mars, and the Guild's teachings found a home within the legion among those brothers with talent for iron and stone. Masters of the Xth Legion include the following: *'Master of the Kohathite Guild' - The Kohathites were the great builders of Obsailes, raising walls, and fortifying keeps to protect the people of that world from the beasts that roamed in the seemingly endless 'Long Nights'. Those who are experts at building structures also have an intimate awareness of how to break them down. *'Master of the Meratrite Guild' - Merarites were the smiths and mechinators of Obsailes. Forging weapons and armor and maintaining machines from ancient times. It is to this Guild that almost all legion tech marines belong. *'Master of the Gershonite Guild' - The Gershonite Guild was the smallest of the Obsailan Guilds. It was also the most mysterious. The history of the Guild before the Imperium came to Obsailes is whispered rumor. Never psychically potent, the librarians of the Xth Legion began operating in large conclaves at their founding. Despite training with librarians of the Ist and Vth Legions, those of the Xth only ever became adept at Pyromacy. With the discovery of their primarch and the renaming of the legion as the Fire Keepers, some regarded the coincidence as extraordinary. The Gershonites were a war guild of Obsailes, the majority of the librarius was subsumed into this new order, placed under Obsailan commanders within Tribe Mogon. Mogon was assigned to the 1445th Expeditionary Fleet and sent to the far side of the Imperial frontier, far away from their primarch who held nothing but hatred and contempt for 'witches'. Despite the association with the former librarius, those believed to be members of the guild have only ever been seen in battle where massed Automata were deployed. 'The Judges' The Judges were a tradition among the Obsailan tribes from time long forgotten. They served as civil mediators, business arbitrators, and criminal prosecutors. They were also task with keeping vigil against the taint of the witch. It was from this tradition that the chaplain corps of the Fire Keepers Legion was born. The chaplain corps is organized into subdivisions called Circles. Every Fire Keeper company has an assigned chaplain and these belong to the lowest level, the Third Circle. The senior members of the Third Circle bear the title Reclusiarch, others are Arch Chaplains and Chaplains. The distinction between Arch Chaplain and Chaplain is not clear as both fulfill a similar role. Arch may be a mark of seniority or an honorific. Reclusiarchs most often serve the companies of senior or distinguished captains and among the command staff of smaller Hosts. They are often accompanied by chaplain novitiates. The Second Circle is believed to be far smaller than the Third but proportionally greater in authority. Though all chaplains display heraldry, knowledge of the ranks and duties of the Second Circle is almost nonexistent outside the chaplain corps. It is believed that the highest ranking members are responsible for overseeing the Third Circle and insuring that the mission of the chaplains is carried out at the most basic levels. Rumor also persists that some among the Second Circle function as enforcers and even executioners among the lower ranks of chaplains and the legion at large. The First Circle is the highest order of the chaplain corps. At its head is the High Chaplain. The High Chaplain has a body of advisors known as 'the Elders' or 'the four' as the body only ever has four members. The lower members of the First Circle are the Chaplain Sovereigns, an office very much like legion Delagatus consuls. Sovereigns are most often seen commanding siege wings that have been seconded to fight alongside psyker heavy legions. 'Legion Armoury' 'Legion Weapons' *'Adamantine Mantle' - *'Arch Truncheon' - *'Archetoech Carbine' - *'Corinthian Pattern Terminator Armor' - Designed and built by the primarch of the Fire Keepers Corinthian Pattern Terminator Armor offers the Triakonta a level of protection that is unsurpassed by any other Astartes armor pattern. (Up-armored Indomitus pattern termi plate. Helmets and shoulder pauldrons look like Grey Knights). *'Gibborim Pattern Power Axe' - Modeled after the weapons used by the beast hunters on the legion's home world Gibborim Pattern Power Axes are formidable weapons. *'Graviton Warhead' - *'Infravisor' - *'Obsailan Falchion' - *'Shock Gauntlet' - 'Legion Relics' *''The Redeemer'' - A massive, master-crafted artificer warhammer created by the hand of The Steel Prince himself. This formidable weapon possesses a 'toothed'-striking face and large curved spike on the reverse. It is made from a strange unknown material that takes the appearance of flint or black volcanic glass. 'Vehicles' *''' Magganon Super Heavy Siege Cannon''' - A mobile super heavy siege cannon attached to a Fellblade super-heavy tank chassis. This weapon system also possesses hull-mounted, twin-linked heavy bolters for anti-infantry defence. War Disposition strength and materiel here Exemplary Battles 'The Breaking of the Bodgespire' In 952.M30, Niklaas' aid was requested by Captain Galen of the Scions Hospitalier. Galen, at the head of a 10,000-strong detachment of Scions, had been investigating signs of an Ork WAAAGH! moving ahead of the Great Crusade’s advance and swiftly summoned that it would require many more Astartes to wipe it out. Moreover, they appeared to be in possession of something akin to a star fort, but far larger. Galen’s later reports likened it to the vast, derelict structure found in the Inwit system several decades earlier. Upon linking up with the Scions, Niklaas mounted a series of reconnaissance missions and raids. He swiftly identified the greeskins as an offshoot of the Deathskullz Klan, notorious even among their own kind as rapacious looters. Where these differed, it seemed, was that where Deathskullz typically stockpiled items for 'lata', these Orks worked any weapons they took into the mobile fortress, which they called the Bodgespire. The combined fleet descended upon the Orks in the Lothindren System, where the Orks had overrun an Eldar Craftworld and, with an industriousness uncommon among their species, were appropriating anything that looked as though it could be salvaged. After the initial charge, Niklaas deployed several ships around the Craftworld, keeping the Ork ships between them and the Bodgespire and banking on the Orks’ unwillingness to risk their assets and potential loot by using their long-range weaponry. This proved entirely correct, and many of the Orkish vessels were destroyed even as they rushed to engage the Imperials at close quarters. As the battle unfolded, Niklaas realised that he had actually underestimated the enemy’s compulsion. The Treads Upon the Night represented a prize beyond anything the Orks had imagined, and soon their every ship was racing to launch boarding torpedoes, gunships or even Orks with rudimentary breathing gear and jetpacks. Niklaas exploited this by ordering the ships that stood between his and the Orks to get clear. Ostensibly placing the Treads Upon the Night in the open, he directed the fleet to create a corridor of space that the Orks would have to enter in their efforts to reach the flagship. They then loosed interceptor wings and frightful quantities of las-fire and torpedoes at the oncomers. Of the estimated hundreds of thousands, perhaps two thousand successfully ran the gauntlet and managed to get aboard the flagship, only to be met by the Fire Keepers aboard, their numbers bolstered by warriors teleported aboard from other vessels. Eventually, some sort of sense prevailed among the Orks as they numbers dwindled, but by then their under-manned and overexposed fleet was ripe for the taking, and led by the XIXth Legion ships the Imperials went on the offensive, enveloping and destroying the enemy ships before beginning an artillery duel with the Bodgespire itself. The Orks had armed their fortress with a truly bewildering array of technology, later traced to six species and eight human cultures. None, however, had been conceived by a mind with Niklaas' genius for design and destruction. The Fire Keepers’ guns gouged vast wounds in the metal skin of the Bodgespire, and the Astartes sallied forth into the breaches. No officer had any illusions as to the dangers of this offensive. Screened by Xiphon squadrons and accompanied by Fire Raptors, Thunderhawks were used to rapidly deploy squads and then companies of Fire Keepers. Alongside the veterans and Terminator squads were Cybernetica detachments and Rapier turrets, which were used to establish beachheads before the main forces arrived. Niklaas deployed personally to the largest, taking with him the two elite companies of the Legion. The lethality of the Triakonta Terminators in the melee was complimented by the talents and weapons of their brothers in the Maveshalak. While heavy support or 'Devastator' Marines were an integral part of every Legion, none served as prominently as those in the Xth Legion. Within a few years of taking command, a specialised elite formation had been created by the Primarch, tasked with breaking enemy defences with peerless firepower. Niklaas had carefully optimised their weaponry and training for siege warfare, and the result was a company adept both at sweeping away infantry with heavy flamers and bolters, and wrecking fortifications and armour with meltas and volkite culverins. As in the void, Ork boyz were funnelled into the path of the Triakota’s blades, and the Deff Dreads that barred their way were broken by heavy weapons fire, often before Niklaas and his guards had to land a blow. The Warboss, however, was not waiting for the Primarch to breach his sanctum. With a great deal of what passes for thought among greenskins, he reasoned that the Treads Upon the Night was plainly a better piece of loot than his own fortress. Now, with the Astartes attacking, he concluded that it was vulnerable and ripe for the taking. So he gathered his most loyal fighters and, without telling the rest, swiftly made his way along a hidden passageway to the nearest hangar. It was the kind of aggressively counter-intuitive Orkish move that had inflicted quite un-amusing damage on many Imperial forces over the years, but this one was foiled when Chief Jehu, fighting alongside Galen, detected a lessening of the Orkish defence. Swiftly, the two pursued the Warboss to the hangar, and there Jehu duelled and slew the loathsome creature, putting out its eyes and throttling it when his sword snapped in the beast's chest. For this he was honoured both by his Primarch and by Galen, who deemed it one of the finest feats of arms he had ever seen and ordered the forging of a waveblade on Iona, to replace Jehu's broken weapon. 'Legion Gene-Seed' 'Legion Combat Doctrine' 'Notable Fire Keepers' *'Niklaas' - Known as 'The Steel Prince' and the 'Witchbreaker', Primarch Niklaas of the Xth Legion is a large and physically imposing figure. His black hair is clipped short and he wears a heavy beard. His eyes are dark like the sky just before a storm. Niklaas is most often seen wearing terminator plate and carries a unique thunderhammer in battle.  Niklaas appears taciturn and morose to those that are not close to him. In the company of those he considers close Niklaas has a dry since of humor. The Primarch has a deep insight into human behavior but isn't always certain of how to interact with others. He values honesty above all even when others consider it blunt or even cruel.  Niklaas is a craftsman with a natural intuition of the mechanical. He is known for forging armor and weapons of stunning quality and power. His works include 'Corinthian'-pattern Terminator Armour and the monstrous ordinatus weapons used by his legion's siege engineers. As well as many gifts given to his siblings and the officers of his legion. *'Djozer' - Equerry to the Primarch. *'Naihab' - Paragon of the Xth Legion. *'The Three' - Tachmon, Ahoth and Harar, these three senior officers are the senior-most commanders of the Xth Legion, outranking even the twelve Chief Captains. *'Jehu' - Chief Captain of Tribe Nerius, Blood Brother of Primarch Niklaas, Commander of the 333rd Expeditionary Fleet. *'High Chaplain Hezekiah' - Reclusiarch of the Fire Keepers. *'Korah Izhar' - The Drowned, under the command of Hennasohn, had fought beside the Fire Keepers at some point in the past. The similarity between the Charonic Seekers and the Stormwall Terminators stems from this time. Niklaas was not with the legion long before the Ember Host was garrisoned on Untara. Korah Izhar, Fulcrum Prime of the Ember Host, was initially dutiful and resolute. Over time his primarch's attitude toward psykers, the dissolution of the legion's Librarius and the passage of time chip away his loyalty. The familiar face of Hennasohn, the lack of a relationship with the Scions, and bitterness make it all to easy for Korah to give his loyalty to Icarion's cause - to restore the Imperium that he and those earliest Astartes like him had fought to lay the foundations of. 'Legion Fleet' *''Treads Upon the Night'' (Gloriana-class Battleship) - Xth Legion flagship. *''Perditio Rex'' (Battle Barge) - Commanded by Chief Captain Jehu of Tribe Nerius, who leads the 333rd Expeditionary Fleet. Former flagship of Priamrch Niklaas. *''Sojourner'' (Unique Strike Cruiser) 'Legion Appearance' 'Legion Colours' 'Legion Tribal Heraldry' 'Legion Badge' The Fire Keepers Legion badge consists of flames on a burning brazier. 'Notable Quotes' Feel free to add your own 'By the Fire Keepers' Feel free to add your own 'About the Fire Keepers' Category:Legions Category:Loyalist